The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure. Accordingly, such statements are not intended to constitute an admission of prior art.
Parallel parking is a method of parking a vehicle in line with other parked cars at the edge of a road or street; parallel to the curb at the edge of a road. Often this is between two other parked vehicles and as this is more difficult to do than angled parking, It often causes great difficulty for many drivers, especially when there are no other parking options other than to parallel park. This is common in downtown areas and in large metropolitan areas. In the best of circumstances parallel parking is among one of the hardest challenges drivers face. Often a driver will circle a block until a space becomes available, and then attempt to park in the newly available spot. When parking, the driver will pull up along side a parked vehicle in front of the space where he or she desires to park and then back into the desired parking space. Unfortunately; this maneuver is often performed in a high traffic area and as this driver is stopping, another vehicle stops just a few feet behind the vehicle that is attempting to park, blocking the pathway. This is despite the fact that the driver of the parking vehicle has turned on the right turn signal and placed the car into “reverse”, which turns on the vehicles backup lights.
Traffic behind the car that is attempting to parallel park have no idea what is about to happen, as the combination of right turn signal and backup lights does not universally signal an intention to park.
Vehicle sensors can determine details of an operating environment close to a vehicle. Camera, radar, LIDAR, ultrasonic, and other sensor systems can be used in coordination with onboard computerized processors to determine a location and orientation of the vehicle in relation to a lane and in relation to neighboring vehicles.
Haptic warning systems within vehicles are known. Seats, steering wheels, and other surfaces can be made to vibrate to indicate certain messages or warnings to the driver.